— — — — — —
"Aizen Sosuke."
A massive brush as tall as a man suddenly appeared in Ichibe Hyōsube's hand.
The plump monk, draped in giant prayer beads, stared at the white-clad, almost divine-looking Aizen and chuckled.
"Didn't expect you to come looking for me on your own. I figured you'd sneak-attack Kirio or Tenjiro first."
"Ichibe Hyosube."
Aizen looked at his opponent with gentle eyes and a faint smile. "A Shinigami who's survived a million years, one who existed at the birth of Soul Society."
"No… maybe I should call you the 'true Soul King' instead."
Aizen narrowed his eyes, his gaze turning cold. "I'm curious about something. Just how far has the technique that lets you turn a human Quincy into a Soul King actually reached?"
"Oh dear… so you've dug up all my secrets."
Ichibe scratched his bald head, visibly troubled.
"These last thousand years or two, monsters just keep popping up."
"Yamamoto, who beat me in raw strength. Yhwach, who could see all. Urahara, whose tricks are beyond strange. Zaraki, who shackled himself for the thrill of fighting. Ichigo, with endless potential. And then…"
"You, the one who creeps me out the most, Aizen Sōsuke."
Ichibe's eyes grew solemn. "Born only five hundred years ago, yet you've pushed all four paths of the Shinigami arts to their limit."
"What's terrifying is that someone with talent like yours only revealed yourself to me after you surpassed the limits of a Shinigami."
"If the original Soul King had been as cautious as you, this old monk probably wouldn't be standing here today."
Aizen answered lightly. "Which is exactly why the Soul King was an imperfect being."
Ichibe blinked, then let out a low chuckle. "Arrogant little brat. Now I get why the Soul King thought you could take his place."
His mouth split open into a wide grin, rows upon rows of sharp teeth overlapping like a beast's.
"With your capacity, you might make an even better 'Soul King.'"
As he spoke, his brush swept through the air.
The tip turned into a blade, and in midair it wrote a single stroke of calligraphy:封
—Seal.
Aizen frowned and reached for Kyōka Suigetsu.
"Don't even think about releasing Kyōka Suigetsu. You think they call me the Naming Monk for nothing?"
Ichibe opened his massive hand toward Aizen and sneered. "Everything in Soul Society was named by me. Every true name belongs to me."
"Your Shikai has already been sealed."
A giant hand appeared out of nowhere, crushing down with overwhelming force.
For a moment, Aizen looked like an ant beneath a mountain. Caught off guard, he was slapped straight into the distance, sent flying hundreds of meters.
Ichibe flash-stepped after him, arriving behind Aizen mid-air and swinging his brush-blade.
Aizen turned without a change in expression and met the strike.
Their blades clashed with a roar.
Stone shattered across the cliffside. Dust exploded outward.
They traded more than a dozen blows before separating, each stopping in the air a hundred meters apart.
Aizen lifted his Zanpakutō and glanced at his arm.
Below his right palm, streaks of black ink clung to his skin.
"You noticed?" Ichibe grinned.
"My Zanpakutō manipulates the names of all things. Tell me, do you even remember what you're called right now?"
"Oh?" Aizen looked mildly impressed.
"No wonder I couldn't find the Soul King's real name. As a former human Quincy, he should have had one."
"So you stole his true name and gave him the title 'Soul King.'"
"In that case, the so-called process of making a Soul King must involve naming the vessel."
"You must be using the title 'Soul King' to reinforce the proto-vessel and stabilize it as the core of the worlds, right?"
Ichibe's heart pounded hard.
If this kept going, he was starting to suspect Aizen would figure out exactly how a Soul King could be created.
'What kind of freak is this…?' He cursed inwardly, quietly releasing his Zanpakutō.
"Hm?" Aizen's eyes widened slightly as half his power suddenly disappeared.
Before he could respond, Ichibe attacked again.
Aizen was stunned. His already-halved strength plummeted further, dropping until he wasn't even as strong as a human.
"So I guessed right after all." Aizen let out a bored sigh.
"It's over, Aizen."
Ichibe spoke calmly. "You never had a chance the moment I sealed Kyōka Suigetsu."
Aizen smiled, lifting a hand toward him. "Yeah... but let me ask you something."
"Ichibe Hyosube," he asked softly, "When did you start believing I hadn't used Kyōka Suigetsu?"
A sharp sound tore through the air.
Ichibe froze, eyes widening.
He looked down at the arm piercing straight through his chest. His whole body trembled.
"Impossible… you never had a chance to release your Zanpakutō. My Ichimonji clearly sealed it…"
"You mean this?"
Behind him, Aizen held up a blade, gripped backwards, smiling. "This is just an Asauchi I picked up."
Ichibe vomited blood, horrified. "But it held Kyōka Suigetsu's power… how can that be?"
"Nothing is impossible," Aizen answered casually.
"Fifteen days ago, my Zanpakutō fully merged with my body."
He smiled faintly.
"At this point, I've reached a higher dimension."
"Impossible… Even the Hōgyoku shouldn't have pushed you past the Shinigami limit this fast… You'd need to survive two or three death-level events at least…"
Aizen chuckled. "And why do you think I've spent all this time spreading my name across Hueco Mundo?"
"Why did I bind my true name, Aizen Sosuke, to the title of King of Hueco Mundo?"
"Why did I gather almost every intelligent Hollow and have them repeat my name day after day?"
"And why did I let that ridiculous title, 'White Emperor,' spread across Hueco Mundo and even into Soul Society?"
Ichibe stared at him, speechless.
"Times have changed, Ichibe."
Aizen continued, smiling. "Faith is a fascinating thing. Over twenty days ago, after learning about this power from my companion Ryo Yagami, I spread a new religion across all three realms."
"It's still new, but it's enough. Enough for me to evolve, to lay the foundation for the next step—"
Aizen pulled his arm free and said cheerfully: "—the foundation to become a god."
Ichibe lowered his head and breathed his last.
Aizen flicked the blood from his hand and said calmly. "The Royal Guard really does have resurrection methods."
He didn't seem surprised. Instead, his eyes grew almost feverish as he looked at Ichibe's corpse.
"Fool. Compared to facing Ryo's despairing strength, dying to me might be a relief."
"But it doesn't matter. I'm far more interested in your knowledge than the Soul King itself."
He reached toward the corpse.
Moments later, Aizen held a pulsing brain in his palm.
"Everything," he said softly, "was calculated."
"And everything… is but illusion."
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